Wagon-box.



No. 890,056. PATENTED JUNE 9, 190a.

H. J. HOPKINS.

WAGON BOX.

APBLIGATION FILED 1130.3. 1901.

rm: NORRIS PETERS ca}, wnsmum'olv, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTQE.

HARRY J. HOPKINS, OF CRYSTAL SPRINGS, KANSAS.

WAGON -BOX.

Application filed December 3, 1907.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY J. HOPKINS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Crystal Springs, in the county of Harper and State ofKansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inlVagon-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wagon boxes and more particularly a wagon boxprovided with what I term a rodless end gate, that is, an end gatehaving no rods to be detached preliminary to the removal of the endgate.

My object is to produce an end gate consisting of two sections hingedtogether, the

- lower section being adapted to be unlocked to permit grain to beunloaded and the upper section folded down back of the lower sectlonwhen the extension side-boards of the Wagon are not in use.

A further object is to produce a wagon box of the character outlinedwhich is of simple, strong, durable and inexpensive construction.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel and peculiarfeatures of construction and organization as hereinafter described andclaimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to behad to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1, is a perspectiveview of the rear end of a wagon box embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is asection on line II-II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a central vertical sectionof the front end of the wagon body. Fig. 4, is a plan view of the lowerportion of the wagon body broken away and showing the upper or extensionsection of the end gate folded down to inoperative position. Fig. 5, isan enlarged central vertical section showing only the sections of theend gate. Fig. 6, is a vertical section taken on the dotted lines VI ofFig. 2.

In the said drawing, 1 indicates the bottom of the wagon box, providedin its rear end with a pair of longitudinal slots 2 and with a crossbrace 3, underlying the front ends of said slots and provided with agroove or channel 4 extending from its right hand end by preference tothe left hand side of the left-hand slot 2, as shown clearly in Fig. 6.

Secured to the underside of the bottom 1 is an inverted U-shaped bracket5 depending into groove or channel 4 and extending through said bracketis a slidable locking rod 6, having a pair of arms 7 contiguous to theslots 2 and having a collar or enlargement 8 Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented June 9, 1908.-

Serial No. 404,925.

and held normally against the left hand arm of said bracket by anexpansive spring 9 surrounding the rod and bearing against said collaror enlargement and the right hand arm of the bracket. At its right handend the slide rod projects beyond the side of the wagon and bypreference is bent upwardly as shown at 10, and pivoted to said end is alever 11 fulcrumed on a bracket 12 secured to one of the permanent sideboards 13 of the wagon. box. Said side boards are provided at theirfront ends and inner sides with oppositely disposed angle plates 14 toslidingly receive the angle bars 15 carried by the front board 16 of thewagon box. Near their rear ends and at their inner sides boards 13 eachhave a rearwardly disposed angle plate 17 for engagement by angle bars18 secured to the front sides and ends of the lower section 19 of theend or tail gate, said section being equipped at its ends with headedpivots 20 pivotally engaging recesses 21 in the upper edges of the sidebars 13 so that the end gate section 19 may be swung upwardly andrearwardly as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. Said section is providedwith a pair of bars 22 in the vertical plane of slots 2 and projectedbelow the lower edge of said end gate so as to pass down through slots 2into groove or channel 4, the projecting ends of said bars having holesto receive the arms 7 of slide bar 6, it being understood that the lever11 must be operated to slide the bar 6 to the right in order to permitsaid end gate section to assume its proper position and thereforedispose the apertured lower ends of bars 22 in line with the arms 7 sothat when the lever is released spring 9 will cause said arms to engagethe holes of said bars and thus lock said section reliably in position.

When a wagon embodying the parts described is used the upper section 23of the end gate hinged as at 23 to the lower section, is folded down toinoperative position as shown in Fig. 5, the section 23 being providedwith an apertured spring latch. plate 24, for automatic engagement bythe beveled-end catch 25, pivoted to the section 19 and pressedyieldingly in the path of the apertured catch by spring 26, this latchand catch serving to hold the sections together in their foldedrelation.

27 indicates extension side boards to rest upon boards 13, and providedwith depending vertical stakes 28 to fit down into clips between thedepending arms of the bracket 5 29 sec11red to the outer sides of boards13.

These extension side boards 27, like side boards 13 are provided attheir inner sides and front ends with angle plates 28 corresponding toangle plates 14 for slidable engagement with the angle bars 29,corresponding to angle bars 15 and carried by the front extension 30 ofthe wagon box, said extension 30 having a beveled-end spring catch 31for automatic engagement with the apertured spring latch 32 carried bysection 16 (see Fig. 3). The extension side boards 27 are also providedat their inner sides and rearward of the end gate with -forwardlydisposed angle plates corresponding to angle plates 28, and adapted toreceive the angle bars 34 secured to the rear sides of the extension 23of the .end gate. The extension side boards 27 are notched in theirlower edges andv rear ends to provide longitudinal slots 35 open attheir rear ends and opening at their front ends into the underlyingnotches 2], these slots 35 being provided to accommodate the pivots 20in placing the end gate in or removing it from position. .8

Assuming that the wagon as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is loaded withgrain, it will be apparent that the operator can effect the discharge ofsuch grain without removing the end gate, accomplishing this purpose byoperating lever 11 and thereby withdrawing arms 7 from bars 22. As soonas this action occurs the weight of the grain will cause the lowermember 19 to swing outward slightly in the direction indicated. by thearrow, Fig. 2, the lower end of section 23 moving inwardly slightly toaccommodate this pivotal movement, said movement being necessarybecausethe pivotal point of section 19 and the hinge points of connectionbetween. said section and section 23 are shown slightly out ofalinement.

After the grain is discharged the lever 11 is again operated and heldpressed toward the wagon box until section 19 has been restored to itsoriginal position when the lever is released and spring 9 ellects theautomatic reengagement of arm 7 with bars 22. It will thus be seen thatthe grain can be dumped without removing the end gate or any part of thewagon box.

In the event that the wagon is to be used as a stock wagon, it will benecessary to interlock section 19 as explained and then section 23 ispressed forwardly to disengage its angle irons 34 from angle plates 33to permit the end gate to be removed for the purpose of loading orunloading the stock into or from the wagon the end gate being replacedin position by reversing the operations described.

The method of removing the side boards and extensions and section 30 orreplacing them in position will be obvious, it being understood that thespring latch 32 is pressed inward to disengage it from the spring catch31 in order to permit section 30 to be removed when the latter is sliddown into place, spring catch 31 automatically engaging and interlockingwith the spring latch plate. By reference to Fig. 5, it will be seenthat the spring 26 will yield to permit section 23 to be disengaged fromcatch 25, it being also noticed that when section 23 is folded as shownin Fig. 5, that the apertured spring latch 54 will spring past thebeveled end of the catch 25 and then back upon said end to secure saidsection in its folded position and thus hold it reliably.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced awagon box of the character outlined, and I wish it to be understood thatI do not desire to be restricted to the exact details of constructionshown and described as obvious modifications will suggest themselves toone skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. A wagon box having the rear end of itsbottom provided with parallel longitudinal slots, a cross bar secured tothe bottom and provided with a longitudinal groove or channel incommunication with said slots, an end gate pivoted to the sides of thebox and provided with depending apertured bars to work in thelongitudinal slots and project into the groove or channel of theunderlying cross bar, a slide bar in said groove or channel providedwith arms engaging the apertured bars, and yielding means for holdingsaid arms in engagement with said bars.

2. A wagon box having the rear end of its bottom provided with parallellongitudinal slots, a cross bar secured to the bottom and provided witha longitudinal groove or channel in communication with said slots, anend gate pivoted to the sides of the box and provided with dependingapertured bars to work in the longitudinal slots and project into thegroove or channel of the underlying cross bar, a slide bar in saidgroove or channel provided with arms engaging the apertured bars,yielding means for holding'said arms in engagement with said bars, and alever fulcrumed on the wagon box and pivoted to the slide bar to effectthe with drawal of its arms from said apertured bars.

3. A wagon box provided with an end gate comprising a lower section andan upper section hinged together, a catch pivoted to the lower sectionand provided with a beveled upper end and rigid as to forward movementat such end, a spring resisting rearward movement of said end of thecatch, and an apertured spring latch secured to the upper section andadapted when thesaid section is folded rearward and downward to engagethe spring and move the upper end of said catch rearwardly untildisengaged therefrom l. A wagon box, comprising a bottom havinglongitudinal slots in its rear end, side boards provided with notches intheir upper edges and near their rear ends, rearwardly opening angleplates secured to the inner sides of the side boards forward of said.notches, clips secured to the outer sides of the side boards, extensionside boards provided with depending stakes to engage said clips and withnotches in their lower edges and extending from their rear ends to thefront sides of the notches in the upper edges of the first-named sideboards, forwardly opening angle plates secured to the inner sides of theextension side boards rearward of the notches in the upper edge of thefirstnamed side boards, an end gate comprising a lower section and anupper section hinged together, pivots projecting laterally from theupper end of the lower section and engaging the notches in the upperedges of the firstnamed side bars, angle irons projecting forwardly fromthe ends of the said lower section and engaging the rearwardly disposedangle plates of the first-named side boards, angle irons secured to therear side and ends of the upper section of the end gate and engaging theforwardly disposed angle plates of the extension side boards, aperturedbars depending from the lower section of the end gate through the slotsof the bottom, a transverse slide bar below the bottom and suitablysupported and provided with arms projecting in the same direction, aspring engaging'said bar to force said arms yieldingly into the saidapertured bars, and a lever ful crumed 011 the wagon box and pivoted toone end of said slide bar, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I a'flix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

Y HARRY J. HOPKINS. Witnesses JonN BAUM'STARK, JNo. G. PARKER, Jr.

